The Destruction of Faith
by sweetcatastr0phe
Summary: When the War between Voldemort and the wizarding world breaks out and Harry leaves without leaving anything but a note, Ron and Hermione don't see how they can continue to believe everything will turn out all right. Reviews appreciated. :)


The Destruction of Faith by BlackGoddess  
  
A/N: Takes place during their 5th year. By the way, the fifth book is coming out in June! Yay! Just in time for my birthday! :)  
  
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It had been several months since the first attack.  
  
It had come without warning. Hermione distinctly remembered sitting in Transfiguration and then suddenly the castle exploding with screams and curses and multicoloured lights.  
  
She had nightmares about it, when she managed to sleep at all. In the cold embrace of darkness she lay, shivering and crying, closing her eyes and trying to block out the continuous noise.  
  
Her only solace was Ron and Harry. They helped one another through these desperate days and Hermione had never been more proud of them.  
  
She stumbled down the stairs, her usual headache pounding just behind her eyes. She'd grown used to it by then but that didn't mean it didn't exhaust her. There were large purple bags under her eyes and her skin was pasty.  
  
She met Ron in the Common Room, just coming back from sending an owl to his parents and there they waited for Harry, like they did every morning. But they waited in vain because Harry didn't come.  
  
"You know, now that I think about it, I didn't see Harry in the dormitory," Ron said, glancing sheepishly at Hermione. She just rolled her eyes and led the way down to the Great Hall.  
  
They were extremely perplexed to find that their dark-haired friend wasn't there, either.  
  
"Where could he be?" Hermione demanded, her voice shrill with worry. She knew better than anyone that Harry could take care of himself but in these days of evil there was no telling what he might find himself faced with.  
  
Ron put his hands on her shoulders, staring straight into her eyes. "Hermione, Harry is fine. Let's just go look for him."  
  
His words had a strangely calming effect on her. She nodded and tightly gripped his hand as they scoured the school.  
  
They found no trace of him until they ventured into the boys' dormitory.  
  
Harry's four poster was neatly made and nothing seemed to be unusual except...  
  
"All his things are gone," Ron noted in a surprised voice. "Well, almost everything.' He pointed to a pile of things on a chair.  
  
Hermione couldn't answer. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she turned to Ron, leaning her head on his shoulder and crying.  
  
It was Ron who noticed the note and the fact that Harry's trunk was pushed into a small corner. When they opened it, they found his prized Firebolt and a few other treasured possessions. Then they went to the note. It was propped up against a picture of the three of them, smiling and waving, on Ron's trunk.  
  
Looking stricken, they read:  
  
Ron and Hermione,  
  
I promise you both I'll be okay. I'm going out to do something useful and I'll miss you but I have to do this. It's important. Take care of each other. And Hermione, it's okay to admit that you're wrong and Ron, tell her you love her.  
  
Love, Harry  
  
Hermione shook with sobs, tears soaking the piece of parchment. She hardly noticed that they weren't all hers.  
  
Ron and Hermione clung to each other, unable to believe that Harry was gone. Not only gone, but gone of his own free will. Finally, Ron looked down at her and said, "I DO love you. And at least Harry is doing something he thinks is important. Maybe he'll be happier doing that than being here and listening as Voldemort attacks the people he loves."  
  
Then he walked away.  
  
She sat down on Harry's deserted bed and then she lay down, curling her fingers in the fabric of the blanket and inhaling her best friend's lingering scent.  
  
Harry was gone. Her best friend was gone. He could be dying. He could be dead. He could be in the vile hands of Voldemort and being tortured! She forced the horrible thoughts from her mind. Harry was gone.  
  
What was there left to hope for? What was there left to believe in? Without Harry, the War against Voldemort was lost. He was what kept many of the students going, kept them motivated. Many would have just given up and backed out if it wasn't for Harry. He had been the symbol of the destruction of Voldemort, showing them that it could be done. And now he had gone.  
  
She felt a hand on her back, soothing her. Ron lay down beside her and held her silently.  
  
"What's left for us, Ron?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes.  
  
"Each other. We'll always have each other, Hermione. And someday Harry will come back. He just has to." She could tell that Ron wanted to believe it desperately but they really couldn't be too sure of anything.  
  
She sniffed. There was no hope but she would always have Ron.  
  
END 


End file.
